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Y’all have seen the articles, right? This one, where a rape survivor (we are not victims, not once the event is over, not once we’ve lived past it….so please, please, stop calling us victims, OK? It just makes us feel like soft little bunnies who can’t defend ourselves against the Big Bad Mens) is denied health care because she took preventative steps to prevent diseases from her rape, thus making it a pre-existing condition? And you’ve seen this one, too, the one where the DoD and a bunch of white, Republican, male senators OPPOSE an amendment to allow “employees access to U.S. courts in cases of rape or sexual assault?”
If you haven’t read the articles yet, please do so. They are important. To all women. And to all men who know women. (And yes, it’s true that rape affects men directly, I know this, but these articles focus on women being attacked for their attacks, so that’s what I’m going on. I do not think that sexual assault on men is any less horrific than that on women. Just in case it needs to be said.)
I’ve been raped. More than once. And I’ve discussed both events, or whatever, on this blog. I’ve also discussed both events with counselors. And police. And doctors. And ER nurses.
Fortunately, I’ve yet to be denied insurance because of it.
Fortunately, I’ve never been told I can’t seek legal action. Well, not directly, anyway. In the recent rape, the one almost 3 years ago, there wasn’t a criminal case, and the detectives in charge made it clear that they themselves doubted my story, so, um, good luck with a civil suit and all that. The earlier one(s), well, I never even considered it. It was a childhood thing, over 2 decades old, and the bastard is dead, anyway, so whatever. If there’s an afterlife, then he’s sitting next to a radio that plays nothing but Rush Limbaugh, being spoon-fed creamy peanut butter WITH NO MILK. Take that, sicko.
Nonetheless, these articles? They affect me. They tell me that there’s a chance I could be punished for something that wasn’t my fault. They tell me that, in the eyes of health care, I AM to blame for my assaults, and what affects they might have on my body and mind. And seriously, let’s think about the idea of NOT providing health care to rape survivors. Aside from the obvious physical affects (disease, pregnancies, internal damage, broken bones…), let’s talk about the long term emotional affects.
The National Organization for Women has a page of stats; let’s look at #’s 12 and 13.
- Sexual violence is associated with a host of short- and long-term problems, including physical injury and illness, psychological symptoms, economic costs, and death.
- Rape victims often experience anxiety, guilt, nervousness, phobias, substance abuse, sleep disturbances, depression, alienation, sexual dysfunction, and aggression. They often distrust others and replay the assault in their minds, and they are at increased risk of future victimization.
Put that together with the conservative estimate that 1/4 women claim to have been sexually assaulted or abused in some way….and, you have a LOT of women suffering from illness, injury, substance abuse, depression, anxiety….and these conditions ALL do so well when not treated! I mean, I’m sure there are NO studies or examples that show the rate of improvement for such issues with, and without, treatment! Take depression – I mean, that’s just something in the patient’s head, right? It’s not an actual medical condition that has a proven track record of great improvement with medication and/or therapy.
As for not being able to sue? Look, I know it’s government contract thing. I know it’s political. And complicated. But it’s also very, very wrong. The DoD article links to this article, where Jamie’s experience is explained in a bit more detail. The DoJ resisted her getting a criminal trial. Then the company who employed her rapists tried to make it illegal for her to seek civil arbitration. She was able to, eventually, over a year later, seek some justice for herself….all the while knowing, though, that the US Government didn’t think she had the right to stand up for herself.
It’s hard enough to come forward. To admit that something like this has happened to you. People don’t believe you. They didn’t all believe me. Even
